Anybody works with AMD? worth the price?

Hey Everybody!
I’m currently using a pretty much “MONSTER” computer: (Workstation with Intel x2 Xeon CPU ’s, Double core each and more goods), but it’s getting old compare to the new software and Windows OS… so I’m planing to buy a new one.

I’ve never worked with AMD before, but Considering a pretty low budget I’m looking for something with many cores and I compare the latest Intel’s i7 series with 6 cores and the AMD 8 Core FX-Series 8120.
It’s almost half the price and also I’m getting 8GB RAM on the AMD but ignore the RAM or anything else, Let’s focus on my main question, AMD Eight Core FX-Series 8120 v.s. i7 Core i7 3820 (I know i’s not the latest model… I compare this because of the prices and needs).

I need an advice from an AMD USER who already work with something familiar, to tell me:
How is it for 3D? (I know it’s up to the Graphic Card for realtime etc..) I talk about render and working in general.

The all “8 cores” sounds pretty strong for me, and it’s not that high priced for what I need, the real question is: Will it do the JOB for 3D Animation? worth the money?
(I’m also planing to produce music with it, but I don’t need so much power for that…)

No matter how many cores you have if you do any type of 3d work it can get extremely slow (depending on the amount of detail and type of settings you have). Just keep that in mind.
Both AMD and Intel will do the job though!
CPU is only used when rendering, Rams are used when having details (ex : buildings, textures etc, the more ram you have the more stuff you can add without slowing it down) and the video card it`s used only to display (sometimes it can help when rendering, depending with what software you are working) .

studio_21 said
No matter how many cores you have if you do any type of 3d work it can get extremely slow (depending on the amount of detail and type of settings you have). Just keep that in mind.
Both AMD and Intel will do the job though!
CPU is only used when rendering, Rams are used when having details (ex : buildings, textures etc, the more ram you have the more stuff you can add without slowing it down) and the video card it`s used only to display (sometimes it can help when rendering, depending with what software you are working) .
Hope that helped a bit!

Thank you for your reply, Actually I already know these facts from my own experience, but still I’m pretty sure there IS a different between INTEL to AMD and that’s why I would love to hear from somebody who actually works with AMD and know if it worth the money.
BTW – I do 3D Animation for many years as part of my job at the Studio so I’m aware to the Real Time and graphic cards, and the render times, and RAM

I’m working with MAYA and sometimes with Cinema 4D at the studio, I believe that for my own use (the new computer) I will use MAYA just like I did for many years with my Intel’s XEON and Nvidia Quadro… so I know what is POWER but… need to know if AMD will do the job compare to the i7 model I mentioned above.

I was crazy about computers since I was five, and still I am. I used AMD CPUs for more than ten years. Athlon 2500+ to Athlon 5400+ and my last one was Phenom II 955BE quadcore, which was overclocked to 3.8GHz. I can say these chips are really fast, they can handle everything but when it comes to After Effects and rendering, I knew I needed a little bit more. So I purchased the Intel Core i7-3770K, because AMD didn’t have anything to offer in this price range, I overclocked it to 4.4GHz and the result is 3x faster than my last Phenom, but it was also 3x more expensive. After upgrade, everything was the same, the difference was only in rendering / real-time preview. So my conclusion? No matter how you choose, you should still get the performance you have paid for. You can check this benchmark and you can use it as your orientation point. Try to find the best compromise between the cpu and your budget.
If I was buying a new computer today and it had to be AMD , I would definitely try the FX-8350 cpu. It’s their brand new cpu and it seems to be fast about the same as 3770K, sometimes even faster, and it’s way cheaper than 3770K. I hope I helped a little bit

DoubleX said
I was crazy about computers since I was five, and still I am. I used AMD CPUs for more than ten years. Athlon 2500+ to Athlon 5400+ and my last one was Phenom II 955BE quadcore, which was overclocked to 3.8GHz. I can say these chips are really fast, they can handle everything but when it comes to After Effects and rendering, I knew I needed a little bit more. So I purchased the Intel Core i7-3770K, because AMD didn’t have anything to offer in this price range, I overclocked it to 4.4GHz and the result is 3x faster than my last Phenom, but it was also 3x more expensive. After upgrade, everything was the same, the difference was only in rendering / real-time preview. So my conclusion? No matter how you choose, you should still get the performance you have paid for. You can check this benchmark and you can use it as your orientation point. Try to find the best compromise between the cpu and your budget.
If I was buying a new computer today and it had to be AMD , I would definitely try the FX-8350 cpu. It’s their brand new cpu and it seems to be fast about the same as 3770K, sometimes even faster, and it’s way cheaper than 3770K. I hope I helped a little bit

Thank you very much for your detailed reply! it’s very helpful

Anybody else who wants to share their experience with AMD will be always welcome to add a thing or two to my current knowledge, Thanks ahead!

One more thing: Don’t forget about the power consumption and TDP . Intel is step ahead with their architecture and their CPUs drain less energy and they emit less heat. But AMD may offer you better price/performance ratio in some cases.

DoubleX said
One more thing: Don’t forget about the power consumption and TDP . Intel is step ahead with their architecture and their CPUs drain less energy and they emit less heat.

I didn’t know about that, That’s very important thing too of course, thank you!
I always chose INTEL for about 20 years with computers now… So I’m pretty much clueless when it comes to AMD , I think more people will learn a lot from this thread when they’re consider a changing from one to another.

AMD Forever! I use a Phenom Black Edition, never failed me once! Works like a charm, and it’s 2 years old, not mentioning my computer runs 15 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and I render, code, design, play, listen to music, watch videos, etc etc etc! It’s a wonderful machine! It just works!

Enabled said
AMD Forever! I use a Phenom Black Edition, never failed me once! Works like a charm, and it’s 2 years old, not mentioning my computer runs 15 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and I render, code, design, play, listen to music, watch videos, etc etc etc! It’s a wonderful machine! It just works!

Sounds Good! Thanks for sharing your experience that helps!
That reminds me the usage of my Xeon Workstation, kind of… KILLING IT but it’s very old since 2006 and still hanging there because it’s a MONSTER compare to my “normal” computers which I replaced a few times during the years.